Santa Ana to distribute $6 million in pre-paid Visa debits to 20,000 households using stimulus money

SANTA ANA, Calif. - Households most in need of relief during the COVID-19 pandemic in Santa Ana will receive $300 in the form of pre-paid Visa cards next month under the Revive Santa Ana Resident Stimulus Program.

Approximately 20,000 rental units are expected to receive the pre-paid cards, which can be spent at any Santa Ana business that accepts Visa.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the residents of Santa Ana, especially those who live in high-poverty neighborhoods with overcrowded living conditions," Mayor Vicente Sarmiento said. "The Resident Stimulus Program will help families recover from the economic effects of the pandemic while also putting money back into our local economy."

The program is part of the $160 million Revive Santa Ana pandemic recovery initiative, which is funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.

According to city officials, a data-driven analysis was conducted to determine the eligible areas that are most in need of additional financial support. Rental units in census tracts with poverty rates above Santa Ana’s median poverty rate of 42% will qualify to receive a prepaid card.

The city will distribute the prepaid Visa cards door-to-door to rental units in the eligible areas in the coming weeks. If staff is unable to contact a head of household at an address, they will be contacted to arrange for delivery at a later date.

Click here for more information.

Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.